my lactation consultant recommended that if boo didnt take a bottle we should offer just one ounce of breast milk by bottle every day. getting her to suck on a finger and then sliding the bottle into her mouth worked and boo finally accepted a bottle from her daddy on the third attempt. she promptly spit up, but we called it a success, regardless.
i had my postpartum breastfeeding class this week. designed to help make breastfeeding easier for mom and baby, the class was a 3 hour roundtable during which we could address our breastfeeding questions and concerns. despite my initial hesitation to attend another 3 hour class, it turned out to be a very informative and helpful experience. not only was i able to address the clicking noise i hear while boo nurses, but i was also surprised to learn that my lactation consultant recommends having 100 ounces of milk in the freezer before going back to work. currently i have approximately 12 ounces in the freezer. some of the other topics discussed included pacifier use, spitting up, hyperlactation, pump use, baby slings and nursing in public. another benefit of the class turned out to be checking out the gear other moms use. i currently have a hotslings sling which i've discovered is awkward when positioning a newborn under 2 months of age. a few of the moms had different types of ring slings which i plan to look into.
i found myself holding a crying boo in the mall for the first time this week. i was without a baby sling or nursing cover (which in my opinion resembles a shower curtain around the neck). swallowing my anxiety, i settled down in a corner booth in the food court and fed boo with a blanket thrown over her and my shoulder. not surprisingly, no one seemed to notice.
boo seems to be eating every 2 -3 hours during the day and around every 3-4 hours during the night. i'm concerned that i won't have enough milk stored for when i return to work. i seem to have a million excuses to avoid pumping, however i'm trying to commit to pumping after boo's first morning feeding. i feed her on one side only and then pump. typically i get approximately 4 ounces total.
Ugh! You've got more guts than I do! Levi can't stand a blanket/nursing cover over us and he won't maintain a latch that way. It just leads to both of us getting upset and anxious. Unmanagable! I pump at least once a day now and even more if we are going out just to have something on hand if/when we need it. Breast milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature. So, that's a long enough outing for me! Good job for making it through the week mama!
ReplyDeletei hear you, i fumble around when trying to cover us with a blanket. nursing covers look so funny to me i cant bring myself to use one. i bought a maya wrap (still awaiting delivery) and hope that will make nursing in public a little easier.
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